Anne Applebaum | Autocracy, Inc.

People think they know what an autocratic state looks like: There is an all-powerful leader at the top; he controls the police; the police threaten the people with violence; there are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents.

But in the 21st century, that bears little resemblance to reality. Nowadays, autocracies are underpinned not by one dictator, but by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, surveillance technologies, and professional propagandists, all of which operate across multiple regimes, from China to Russia to Iran. Corrupt companies in one country do business with corrupt companies in another. The police in one country can arm and train the police in another, and propagandists share resources and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America.

So what can be done?

Pulitzer-prize winning New York Times bestselling author Anne Applebaum says that international condemnation and economic sanctions cannot move the autocrats. Even popular opposition movements, from Venezuela to Hong Kong to Moscow, don't stand a chance. The members of “Autocracy, Inc.,” as she dubs the movement, aren't linked by a unifying ideology, like communism, but rather a common desire for power, wealth, and impunity.

Applebaum joins us for a special online program to share her urgent call for the world’s democracies to fundamentally reorient their policies to fight a new kind of threat. Join us the find out how that can be done.

July 30, 2024

Speakers

Anne Applebaum
Staff Writer, The Atlantic; Author, Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World; X @anneapplebaum

In conversation with Steven Saum
Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Content, Saint Mary’s College

NOTES

This program is part of The Commonwealth Club’s Future of Democracy Series, supported by Betsy and Roy Eisenhardt.

Applebaum photo by Maciej Zienkiewicz .

[hereigoagain]

Thanks Anne! Autocracy can happen here unless we all VOTE. If you don't vote, you don't count. Don't tell your grandchildren that you could have voted in our last election, but it was too much of a hassle. Be a hero. Have a plan. Register. Find your polling station or get a mail-in ballot. Make arrangements for transportation. Be prepared to wait in line. Have legitimate ID. Help your neighbors and fiends to get to the polls. Voting is your public responsibility.

[CaptainAhab-]

I have closely watched world events for many years but what Anne is talking about in this discussion and in her new book (which I am currently reading) about autocracies working together—and together against democracies--had never dawned on me prior to hearing her talk about it. Somewhere early in this excellent discussion she says that once you see it, you can’t unsee it. That is exactly correct. Once it is explained and one “gets it, ” one can see it plainly happening when one reads about world events in the daily newspapers or broadcast news. When you “get it, ” you see it and Anne is expertly educating so many of us these days. Thanks for the interview and thanks to Anne for being ubiquitous these days in airing these important ideas about the contemporary political world.

[turnuiu]

I read the book and everyone else should too. It is imperative to understand the world today.

[AzEagletarian]

The SCALE of the problem is because technology has enabled Autocracy, Inc.

[b.a.w.]

Most edifying and shareable - thank you!

[isatousarr]

Autocracy, with its concentration of power in the hands of a single leader or a small elite, poses a significant threat to democratic principles and human rights. In autocratic regimes, the lack of checks and balances often leads to the erosion of freedoms, suppression of dissent, and violations of fundamental rights. The centralization of authority can undermine democratic institutions, limit political pluralism, and stifle public participation. Given these challenges, what measures can be taken to strengthen democratic frameworks and protect human rights in the face of rising autocratic tendencies, and how can international communities support and promote democratic values in countries experiencing autocratic governance?

[Blanka]

She is married to Poland's FM, Radek Sikorski. He is the best FM Poland has ever had. They are both great.

[georgepotter]

Today's society is struggling with all kinds of crises all of which may be symptoms of ecological overshoot.

[johnellington]

Make some Existential Questions Stick. 🎉 Butler Award. Lousiest Faith.

[RM-xfgi]

Who was more spontaneous? The USA goes after China all the time. China isn't supposed to do the same thing back to us? Just saying... 😊
I wish she would explain herself better.